Reaching for You
by Ryeloza
Summary: .'We’re here to save you Cole.'  'You’ve gotta be kidding me.'  Cole's life has taken a self destructive turn.  Can he be saved?  Sequel to Nothing I've Become.
1. Chapter 1

**A/n: **This is the sequel to my story "Nothing I've Become" and the third in the "Alone, Eternally" series. This story deals with Cole, primarily, and how he's dealing with life without Phoebe. I'm not sure how many parts this work will be, but there will most likely be at least three chapters. I hope you enjoy this latest installment.

_Katie_

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own anything that has to do with _Charmed_. I'm just playing with the characters because they're too much fun to be left alone. Also, I have nothing to do with Lifehouse's excellent song, "Fool." Such is life.

**Setting:** December 2010

**Reaching for You**

sequel to **Nothing I've Become**

a story by **Ryeloza**

_Seems my own arrogance  
has knocked me off my feet again  
When you know I'm crawling to  
you as fast as I can  
First teach me to walk  
and then I'll learn to dance for you  
Like an honest clumsy clown  
tripping along the way_

-Lifehouse, "Fool"

Cole stumbled out of the bar with such little grace that he slipped off the curb and into the street. Fortunately, there was a car parked next to where he fell, and he managed to use the back bumper to hoist himself off of the ground. Without much thought he tripped back up onto the sidewalk and began staggering down the street.

All he had to do was make it back to his apartment and collapse somewhere. A simple enough task. If he accidentally fell back into the street and got hit by a passing car, all the better. It'd save him the trouble of drinking himself to death.

Three and a half years ago he'd been a man with all the hope in the world for the perfect life. His dreams had been crushed in a matter of minutes, though, and he'd once again become a broken man. But at least that broken man had a choice: live or die.

After three and a half years, Cole had chosen the latter.

He'd given life a half-hearted try, but it had all seemed so meaningless without the woman he loved by his side. Slowly but surely, he'd fallen into old habits. Whiskey, gin and vodka were his only companions now.

He wasn't exactly sure why he was killing himself in this slow, complacent manner. By now he could have thought of a hundred different ways to commit suicide. None of them seemed very appealing, though, and he was beginning to wonder if somewhere in the back of his mind he thought she might appear one day. An angel in the hazy morning light that streamed through the dirty window of his apartment. She'd save him from his inner demons, just as she had in the past and they'd be free to love again.

Sometimes he was so sickeningly sentimental and delusional it made him laugh.

Ah, and there it was: home sweet home. Cole stared up at the slightly blurry outline of his apartment building and then leaned heavily against the wall. He needed to moment to gather himself before stumbling up four flights of stairs. Maybe tonight would be the night. Maybe tonight he'd fall down the stairs and break his neck. In a few hours someone would find him in a heap on the floor and unceremoniously call the police to tell them the drunkard in 4B had finally killed himself. Sweet success.

With his luck he'd probably just manage to paralyze himself.

Straightening up as best he could, Cole reached out to open the door only to have it shoved open towards him, smacking him hard in the jaw. Without pause, Cole toppled backwards and the man who had opened the door took off running.

_Man down_, thought Cole, and he blacked out.

Hours later, Cole woke up, squinting against the light pouring into the room. He'd forgotten to close the blinds last night and now he was paying the price. Of course, he might ask how he'd even gotten into his bed in the first place, but his head was pounding too hard to answer the question at the moment. As he shut his eyes again, his stomach lurched and he rolled out of bed and crawled to the bathroom, not quite making it to the toilet. Instead he threw up in the bathtub.

When the initial heaving had passed, he crawled to the toilet and draped himself against it, preparing to purge his stomach of everything he'd taken in during the past twenty-four hours. Just as he finished throwing up again, he heard someone say, "I never needed to see this."

Cole looked up, squinted at the person in the doorway, and promptly shut his eyes, this time in desperation. "Oh God, I'm hallucinating," he said, praying that the figure would be gone when he opened his eyes again. "And it's not a good one."

"Well at least he's awake," said another voice.

Cole opened his eyes and saw that there were now two people watching him empty his stomach into the toilet of his grungy apartment. And he hadn't thought his life could possibly get worse. He shut his eyes again. "Go away, go away, go away, go away..." he chanted continually, trying to block out the couple standing before him.

They didn't. Instead, the first speaker said, "Yeah, now if only he was sober." There was a sigh. "We'll come back when you're finished, Cole."

And he was left alone to hope they'd never return.

Eventually, Cole fell asleep, still hugging the toilet and fearing the return of his unwelcome companions. He dreamt of the past; fuzzy images of a time he used to be happy. When he jerked awake again his head was still throbbing and he had drooled all over his cheek. Wiping it away, he sat back and looked around the tiny bathroom for signs of the intruders. They didn't appear to be there anymore.

"It was a dream," he whispered. "A horrible, horrible dream."

Cautiously rising, Cole braced his hands on the wall to support him through a dizzy spell. When it passed, he took several jerky steps to the door and back into his bedroom. Feeling near fainting, he registered the smell of bacon and coffee and nearly threw up again.

_It's not coming from my kitchen_, he thought hopelessly. _Oh God, don't let it be coming from my kitchen_.

When he finally staggered to the doorway of his bedroom, though, and saw that the smells were coming from his kitchen, he sunk to the floor with his head cradled in his hands. "It wasn't a dream," he moaned.

Someone approached, and he saw a pair of feet cross into his line of vision. "You want some breakfast, Cole?"

He finally looked up and faced his fear directly, not quite able to comprehend what he was seeing. Menacingly towering over him was none other than Prue Halliwell, dead nine years. Not that he put too much stock in death. After all, he'd beat it multiple times. But he was one thing; Prue was another thing entirely. "What are you doing here?" he finally asked.

"We're here to save you Cole," said Prue. Cole shut his eyes.

"You've gotta be kidding me."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own anything that has to do with _Charmed_. I'm just playing with the characters because they're too much fun to be left alone. Also, I have nothing to do with Lifehouse's excellent song, "Fool." Such is life.

**Setting:** December 2010

**Reaching for You**

_What are you thinking  
as you look down on me?  
Are you frustrated  
with my inconsistency?  
Worn and treated  
I can find the will to get back up  
Or maybe all of this is simply amusing._

-Lifehouse, "Fool"

Prue narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean, 'you've gotta be kidding me'?"

Cole gaped at Prue from where he sat slouched on the floor. His head was still pounding, his stomach was churning due to the smells coming from the kitchen and these problems were compounded by the anger he now felt. Stupid Halliwell sisters and their stupid high-handed sanctimonious crap. Since he had so graciously given up Phoebe he didn't see why he still had to be subjected to this condescension, particularly from the one Halliwell he never thought he'd see again.

"I mean," said Cole, pushing himself up off of the floor and getting unsteadily to his feet, "that I can't believe you have the nerve to show up here. Why the hell do you even care, Prue? Go haunt someone else." He waved a hand in her direction, meaning it as a dismissal, but she merely crossed her arms and regarded him like an art project that needed fine tuning.

"We're not going away that easily, Cole."

"_We_?"

Prue jerked her head towards the kitchen, which was merely an extension of the living room and thus visible from where they stood. Standing at the stove cooking breakfast was the same man who Cole had seen that morning in the bathroom with Prue. He was young, with dark spiky hair and light blue eyes. He looked like someone Paige might have dated.

"This is my friend, Andy," said Prue, smiling for the first time. "He's dead too." Andy did not acknowledge this introduction and Cole supposed he hadn't heard them.

Cole raised an eyebrow and glanced back at Prue. "Your _friend_, huh? Shouldn't being dead make that much less complicated?"

Prue rolled her eyes. "Yes he's my _friend_, Cole. Get your mind out of the gutter."

"That's not the vibe I'm getting."

Prue shrugged and said, "Well, we dated off and on until Andy died."

"I always knew that you were deadly, Prue."

"He was killed by a _demon_, Cole."

"Pesky little things, aren't they?"

"You'd know."

Cole couldn't help but smirk at that comment. Even though Prue was the last person he'd ever want to see in his apartment, regardless of his physical condition, it was sort of nice to have someone to banter with. He hadn't exactly had a lot of stimulating conversation recently.

Unfortunately, Prue seemed to take his smile as a sign of defeat.

"So do you want some breakfast?" she asked him again. "Andy's a good cook. A little out of practice, sure, but it'll come back to him."

Cole didn't accept the invitation, but he did begin to walk towards the kitchen area. The smell had permeated the apartment; it wasn't as though going into the bedroom and locking the door would make a difference now. He supposed he could leave, but as it was his apartment and he felt like shit, he didn't see why he should have to vacate the premises.

"How are you eating anyway?" asked Cole, pulling out a chair at the folding table he'd put in the kitchen. "Aren't you a ghost?"

Prue grabbed his wrist and shook it around in the air as though it was a limp noodle. "Corporeal," she said. "Added perk of this good deed. And if I'm coming back to save you I'm rewarding myself with the first meal I've had in nine years."

"Eleven," said Andy, turning away from the stove with a skillet in his right hand. "And this smells so good I can't hold out much longer."

Prue opened a package of plastic plates that were on the counter and Cole realized dimly that they must have gone shopping while he was passed out this morning. Where they had gotten the money he didn't want to know; he suspected it had been pilfered from his wallet.

Andy began doling out generous portions of food onto the plates and Cole laid his head on the table to avoid the sight of it. A minute later, however, Prue set a plate down by his head and then sat down next to him. "Eat up," she directed. "You need your strength."

Cole lifted his head, glared at her, then picked up a piece of toast and nibbled on the edge of it. "Good boy," said Prue.

"Hey, give him a break, Prue," said Andy, though Cole could hear laughter in the other man's tone.

"I am giving him a break," said Prue. "I'm saving the heavy stuff for later."

Cole rolled his eyes and took a larger bite of the toast. As much as he didn't want to admit it, it was the best meal he'd eaten in weeks.

The trio remained quiet through the rest of breakfast; Cole because he was concentrating on keeping his food down and the other two, he thought, because they were practically inhaling the food on their plates. Cole couldn't quite blame them for this; he'd acted similarly at his first meal back from the dead.

Andy finished before Prue, despite his original complaint of being dead two years longer than her, and pushed back his chair, smiling contentedly. "That was excellent, if I do say so myself."

Prue paused long enough between bites to say, "Almost as good as Piper's."

"Can't beat a professional, I guess," said Cole somewhat apologetically.

Andy shrugged and leaned across the table with his hand extended. "Andy Trudeau," he said. "We weren't really properly introduced."

"Cole Turner," said Cole. "I'm sure you're used to Prue's lax manners."

"Hey!" said Prue, her mouth full of food. Cole extended a hand her way as if to say, "See what I mean?" and Andy suppressed a grin. Prue swallowed. "I do not have lax manners."

"You're not the most welcoming person, Prue," said Cole, only half-joking. "And you never really treated me well. It's as though I was a pest in your home."

Prue looked about ready to explode and Cole stalled in his testimony for a moment. Was it possible she still had her powers? He tried to think back to when other family ghosts had come back corporeally and came up blank. Why hadn't he paid better attention?

Fortunately, Andy chose that moment to break the tension. "Is this what you guys were like when you were alive? If so, I'm glad I missed it."

Both Cole and Prue glanced in Andy's direction. With eye contact broken, Cole felt his confidence return. "Let's just say Prue can be very intolerant of people," he said.

Prue's mouth dropped open comically. After gaping for a moment she sputtered, "You were trying to kill us!"

Cole shrugged. "Only for the first few months."

"And I was just supposed to believe you weren't going to try again?"

"No," Cole said, his ire rising. What had begun as innocent bating was opening old wounds that had never healed. "You were supposed to take Phoebe's word for it. And she was right, wasn't she? I was perfectly harmless."

"Harmless? Ha! Even with the best intentions in the world you were _never_ harmless, Cole."

"Well, you would know, wouldn't you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean," said Cole, rising from his seat and leaning towards Prue, "that you had me pegged as a threat until the day you died. You wish Phoebe had vanquished me when she was supposed to. Go ahead, admit it!"

"I—That's—You're…" Prue sputtered helplessly.

"Hey, hey, hey," said Andy, obviously eager to intervene. He stood up and came around the table so he was standing between Cole and Prue, holding a placating hand out towards each of them. "Prue," he said, "you didn't come here to fight."

Prue took a deep breath, but continued to stare at Cole with fire in her icy blue eyes. "You're right, Andy," she said. "Let's just drop it."

"I don't want to drop it," said Cole. "For once I want one of you meddling Halliwells to admit that you think the entire family would have been better off if Phoebe had vanquished me."

"Uh, Cole," Andy said. He chuckled nervously. "This isn't important, is it? I mean, it was years ago."

"You and Piper and Paige were all against me," said Cole, old anger and paranoia rising in him. "And you're all so self-righteous about it. You won't even admit that maybe you had something to do with me and Phoebe falling apart. You won't even admit that you might be why I'm sitting in this crappy apartment drinking myself to death. Why won't you admit it?" he yelled.

Prue stood up, hands planted firmly on the table, leaning toward him looking ferocious. "I have thought it, okay?" she yelled back at him. "More than once! But that was years ago! And I had absolutely nothing to do with you and Phoebe falling apart, mostly because it happened _after I died_! Remember that little event?" She poked him hard in the chest. "And don't you dare blame Piper or Paige, either. You and Phoebe fell apart because both of you are completely dysfunctional! And you have no chance in hell with her until you both grow up!"

Cole's hands were balled into fists and he was breathing heavily, trying to prevent himself from hitting Prue. He hadn't felt anger like this in years, and the worst part was that everything she said was true.

After a minute he finally managed to spit out, "You're driving me crazy!"

"Right back atcha, demon boy."

"Okay, I think—" began Andy, but Cole cut him off, leaning closer to Prue.

"And I thought Paige was annoying," he said. "I'd obviously just forgotten you."

Prue opened her mouth to retort, but before she could, Andy cut in loudly, saying, "Prue, we're supposed to be keeping him from committing suicide, not driving him to it."

Andy's words, finally, cut through the fight and both Cole and Prue visibly backed away from each other.

"You're here to prevent my suicide?" asked Cole incredulously. "That's how you're saving me? Whose sick plan is that?"

"Mine, buddy," said Prue. She crossed her arms and took a deep breath. "You can thank me later."

Cole shook his head, unable to fully grasp the idea at hand. "You're telling me that you and your _boyfriend_ came back from the dead to keep me from killing myself? You've got to be kidding me."

"We came to tell you that you still have a chance at happiness, Cole," said Andy.

Prue grunted. "I'm not so sure you deserve it anymore."

"Prue…" said Andy.

"Because we had one fight?" Cole asked. "I guess you forgot how much I annoyed you too."

"It's more than just one fight," said Prue haughtily.

"Oh, let me guess," said Cole. "Seeing me again has suddenly reminded you that I'm to blame for every little thing that's gone wrong in your sisters' lives. Am I right? Come on, tell me."

"Well, not _everything_," said Prue reluctantly.

"Oh, that's big of you, Prue."

"Jeez!" said Andy, his own temper finally rising to the surface. "You two can't stop fighting for five minutes! And it's not even a different fight! It's the different version of the same thing! You both need to get a grip on reality."

"Andy," said Prue in a soft, apologetic voice Cole was unfamiliar with.

"I don't want to hear it," Andy said. "I'd leave right now if I didn't think you two would kill each other. Again. And that wouldn't so bad except that we came here to save Cole. Try to remember that."

"Go ahead, let her kill me," said Cole. "She's the only Halliwell who hasn't. Besides, maybe I don't want to be saved."

"What if it means getting Phoebe back?" asked Andy.

"What?" said Cole, turning sharply to face Andy. At the same time, Prue said, "Andy!"

"Are you serious?" asked Cole.

"Are you willing to listen?"

"Andy!"

Cole regarded the man in front of him for a moment. If he was telling the truth…

Well, it couldn't hurt to hear him out, right?

"Okay," said Cole. "I'm listening."

* * *

**A/n:** This story may be longer than I originally anticipated, mostly because writing Cole and Prue's dialogue is way too much fun. It's a nice change from the pure angst of the last two stories and I may stick with it for a little while.

It may be a few days before the next update because I'm going to be fairly busy, but hopefully I'll have something up before the weekend. If nothing else is posted by Friday (9/28) then don't expect anything until at least Monday (10/1). This weekend is homecoming at my school and I'll be up there until Sunday.

Thanks so much for the reviews! I really, really appreciate them.

_Katie_


	3. Chapter 3

**A/n: **I'm so sorry it took me over a month to update this story. I've been much busier than I expected, and this chapter was a little bit tricky. There will be one more chapter after this one.

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed. I really, really appreciate it.

_Katie_

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own anything that has to do with _Charmed_. I'm just playing with the characters because they're too much fun to be left alone. Also, I have nothing to do with Lifehouse's excellent song, "Fool." Such is life.

**Setting:** December 2010

**Reaching for You**

_I'm comfortable dancing  
Weightless for you.  
I'm stumbling closer to you  
and I'm tumbling over my pride.  
I will be a fool for you._

-Lifehouse, "Fool"

"What the hell is wrong with you, Andy?" asked Prue before Andy could say anything more about Phoebe. "We're not here to give him a play-by-play of vague glimpses we've had of the future!"

"We have to motivate him somehow. Look at how you two were just fighting. Do you really think he's going to listen to you? Er—us," he amended.

"I am standing right here you know," said Cole. He crossed his arms and addressed Prue. "And I already heard what he said, so there's no use arguing about it. Just tell me what's going on."

Prue regarded him for a moment, a judging look on her face that he hadn't seen in years. He certainly had not missed that expression. "No," she said finally. "I don't want to tempt fate."

Cole shook his head. "Get the hell out," he said. "Go back to wherever the hell you came from and do whatever the hell it is you do all day."

"Cole," said Prue.

"Get out!" he screamed. "Leave me alone!"

"We're not going anywhere, Cole! Andy said you still have a chance with Phoebe and it's true!"

Cole tried to stare her down. He didn't know what Prue wanted for whatever information she had. Did she expect him to beg? To drop to the floor and grovel like some pathetic fool? And with those thoughts, he suddenly could no longer muster the energy for this conversation; this unexpected visitation. Visibly, every muscle in his body relaxed and he sunk into the kitchen chair, slumping forward in weak defeat.

"Just go away, Prue," he said.

"Cole…"

Cole shook his head. "I'm tired," he said. "And frankly, I'm sick of being the one who always has to make the effort. Phoebe's never seeking me out. At least she hasn't in a long, long time. I don't want to do it any more. I don't want to think about it. So go away and let me slowly kill myself in peace."

There was silence. With his head resting on the palm of his right hand, staring resolutely at the floor, Cole could almost hope that they had left. But he knew Prue better than he wanted to admit, and he knew she wouldn't leave without putting up a fight.

"Andy," Prue said finally, her voice steady and quiet, "could you leave us alone for a few minutes?"

"Are you sure?" asked Andy.

"Yeah."

"All right. I'll just go for a walk or something."

Cole heard the other man walk across the apartment to the door, and a moment later it had shut behind him with a soft click. Still, Cole refused to look at Prue again. It was easier to pretend that she was gone, that he didn't care, if he couldn't see her.

"Look, Cole," he heard her say. He heard the chair next to him scraped across the linoleum as she pulled it out to take a seat. "I know you want to know exactly what Andy meant, but we didn't plan to say anything about Phoebe while we were here. I don't feel comfortable telling you anything that you might…" She trailed off as though unsure how to finish the sentence. Cole didn't try to help her, and after a moment she ignored the thought completely and moved on. "Why don't we start simpler?" she asked.

"Simpler?" he said, in spite of himself.

"Yeah. I mean…is there anything else you'd like to know?"

Cole lifted his head and looked at Prue. To his dissatisfaction, she didn't look agitated or unconfident. Just slightly hesitant, as though she would actually try not to push his buttons. Sighing, he leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms over his chest.

"How is...everyone?" he asked slowly.

Prue was quick to respond, and she leaned forward as she did so. "You mean Phoebe?"

Of course he meant Phoebe. Phoebe was a constant on his mind even when he wanted to forget her entirely. Pretend that he had never felt her or lost himself in the smell of her hair or kissed every inch of her body. But somehow he didn't just mean Phoebe. Somewhere along the way, he'd become part of the family, even if none of them would acknowledge it. And unfortunately, belonging to a family came with some emotional attachment.

"Phoebe...and the others..." he said.

"The others?"

"Yes."

"Well, Pheebs is fine."

Cole stiffened, his anger briefly flaring to the surface again. "Fine?" he said. "That's it? She's _fine_. Huh. I never knew you to be so closed-mouthed."

For a second, Prue fell back into her old role too. "What do you want? A play-by-play of her every waking moment?" she sneered.

Cole took a deep breath, willing himself not to raise his voice. After a moment, he calmly said, "I'd like something more than fine." Across the table, Prue seemed to become aware of herself and the situation, and visibly relaxed again.

"Well, she's still working at the paper. She has two daughters." Prue smiled sadly at that and for an instant Cole's heart went out to her. Despite everything else, the one thing they did have in common was the unfulfilled desire to be part of the Halliwell family again. "She's still married to Coop," Prue continued. Cole swallowed hard. "She and Piper are talking again, so I think she's doing better."

Instantly, Cole pushed any thought of Coop to the back of his mind. "She and Piper weren't talking?" he asked.

"They had a fight. Phoebe got in touch with Billie again–you do know who Billie is?"

Cole rolled his eyes. "I was closer to being there than you were, Prue."

Prue narrowed her eyes, but Cole didn't apologize. "Anyway," she said after a moment, "Phoebe let Billie babysit her kids and Meli without asking Piper first. Piper went a little ballistic. She doesn't exactly trust Billie."

"Well, she did try to kill Wyatt," said Cole. Prue looked surprised at this and Cole couldn't exactly blame her; he wasn't sure where the comment had come from himself. "So," he said, trying to change the subject, "they decided to call the baby 'Meli'? Tough break, Prue."

"It was my idea," said Prue. "Well, Andy technically said it first, but I planted the seed in Piper's mind." She shook her head. "They should have made her middle name Prudence."

Cole personally agreed, but since it was Prue he was speaking to he said, "Well no one's as perfect as you."

Prue scowled and Cole scrounged for more information.

"So Phoebe and what's-his-name had another kid?" he said. He refused to acknowledge Coop by name. Especially in front of Prue.

"Lena," said Prue. "Helena, actually, but they're calling her Lena."

"Well, everything's hunky dory then I guess."

"For the most part," said Prue.

Cole nodded and waited for Prue to continue, but she didn't say anything. Finally he asked, "How are Piper's kids?"

"You care?" said Prue incredulously.

"I may have grown a little attached to them," said Cole with feigned nonchalance. In truth, he was wild about Piper's kids, who had changed his life in more ways that he cared to name.

"Wyatt's a sweetheart," said Prue, her face inadvertently lighting up. "He's still really quiet. He really likes to read. Chris is a hellion. He causes more mischief than you'd think possible. And he likes dragging Meli into it whenever he can. She's a doll."

"How are Piper and Leo handling it?"

"They're great. The happiest I've ever seen them."

"Good to know they're as nauseating as ever," said Cole. He fought a smile and he could tell Prue was doing the same. It was slightly disconcerting. Prue seemed to think so too, because she cleared her throat loudly and then said, "Do you even want to hear about Paige?"

"Huh," said Cole, this time truly indifferent. He'd never like Paige very much, even if they years had dulled the bitterness and anger he had once felt. "I nearly forgot. Has she spawned yet?"

Prue glared at him.

"What? Have you formed some beyond-the-grave spiritual connection with her that I don't know about?"

"She's my sister," said Prue as though that explained everything. "And to answer your question, she and Henry have two children. They're both adopted."

"Huh."

"Wil and Ellie."

"How all-American of them."

"They're happy too," said Prue.

Cole nodded slowly. "Funny," he said. "You didn't mention that Phoebe and _him_ were happy. Trouble in paradise?"

"I know what you're doing, Cole," said Prue. "But to answer your question, things are fine. Just fine."

"Right."

Prue sighed and folded her hands on top of the table, obviously struggling for words. Cole felt little sympathy for her.

"Well, thanks for the family update," he said, sarcasm lacing each word. "You've been a great help. I guess you'll be going now." He stood, extending an arm towards the door.

"I don't think Phoebe made the right choice."

"Excuse me?" said Cole. The words had been spoken so softly that Cole was certain he'd heard incorrectly. Prue lifted her head and stared up at him.

"I don't think Phoebe made the right choice," she repeated, more conviction in her voice.

"Well it was her choice, now wasn't it?" said Cole. What did it matter to him whether Prue thought Phoebe had made the right choice or not? Prue had no jurisdiction in Phoebe life now, and even if she did, Cole didn't think her opinion would matter.

"She's struggling," said Prue. "She's struggling to make it work with Coop and maybe she loves him in her own way, but it's not…she doesn't feel…"

"Yes?" said Cole.

"Passionate!" said Prue. "I miss seeing passion in her eyes. I miss seeing her deliriously happy. And I want her to feel that again."

"What exactly do you want from me, Prue?" asked Cole, sick of dancing around the subject.

"I want you to remind Phoebe of what she's missing," said Prue.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/n: **I probably should have mentioned this in the last chapter, but I didn't think of it until after I had posted. Obviously by mentioning Paige and Henry's kids I've strayed from the canon established in the last episode. The truth is that I had a very clear picture of Paige's future in my head, and I didn't particularly want to change it for canon provided in the last five minutes of the series. Especially because Henry Jr. and the twins kind of made me roll my eyes. I hope you can forgive this change.

_Katie_

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own anything that has to do with _Charmed_. I'm just playing with the characters because they're too much fun to be left alone. Also, I have nothing to do with Lifehouse's excellent song, "Fool." Such is life.

**Setting:** December 2010

**Reaching for You**

'_Cause I am reaching for you,  
but my arms aren't long enough.  
And I am running to you,  
if I could go a little faster.  
And I am crying to you,  
but I can't hear my own voice.  
And I am waiting for you,  
trying not to fall asleep now._

-Lifehouse, "Fool"

"You want what?" said Cole, but he had heard Prue perfectly and didn't wait for her to repeat her statement. "So what? I'm supposed to go back to Phoebe and get her to leave her husband just because you want me to? Get over yourself, Prue."

He stood up, not in any hurry to hear Prue's response, and stalked from the kitchen back into the living room. Unfortunately, Prue followed him.

"Cole!" she called. "Cole, please wait!"

In spite of himself, the please caught his attention and he stalled his long strides, slowly turning around to face her again. Once he stopped, she did too, standing near the kitchen, across the room from him. For the first time since she had arrived she seemed unsure of herself, and Cole felt satisfaction surge through him. It was nice to see her, for once, unnerved.

"Look," said Prue. She paused for a moment and took a deep breath. "I know how hard it was for you to walk away from Phoebe. And I know that when you did it that you were trying to finally give Phoebe what she deserves." Cole did not acknowledge this in any way, despite the fact that it was all true. Thankfully, Prue did not seem to be looking for confirmation.

"I know that this is really selfish of me," she continued, and Cole admired the fact that she did not break eye contact, "but I really do think that you and Phoebe belong together. And I know that I wasn't exactly supportive when I was alive, but I am now."

Cole couldn't help himself; "You're dead," he said.

Prue shrugged, as though this was inconsequential. "I said I came back here to save you, Cole, but the truth is that I only wanted to save you so you could save Phoebe."

Cole shook his head. "Walking away from Phoebe was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. And I did it because I thought that was what was right for her. I don't know if I want to go back and face losing her again."

"So that it?" said Prue. "You're just going to give up?"

"Phoebe gave up on me a long time ago," said Cole. The words were factual and lacked emotion, and Cole was proud of himself. He didn't want to appear any more vulnerable to Prue than he already was.

When Prue failed to respond to this, Cole continued on his original path to the bedroom, where he planned to collapse and sleep, possibly for days.

"What if I told you that Phoebe will come to you?"

The words stopped Cole in his tracks, but this time he didn't turn around. He was sure raw emotion (hope, fear, sadness) was piercing his eyes and he didn't want Prue to know it.

"I wasn't sure whether or not I should tell you," said Prue, "because nothing in the future is set in stone. But I'm almost sure…" She trailed off.

"So?" said Cole, a slight waver in his voice.

"So I was hoping you could pull yourself together, maybe find yourself before she finds you. Cole, the reason I was so angry when Andy told you that you might have another chance with Phoebe is because I wanted to come back here to motivate you to live for yourself. I wanted you to be able to find something else in your life worth living for besides Phoebe. I wanted you to want to be alive."

"Phoebe is…Phoebe will always be everything to me," said Cole, trying to push down the lump in his throat. His eyes burned with unshed tears and still he refused to turn and face Prue.

"I know you love her more than anything," said Prue. "But Cole, I also know that you have the capacity for more. Just twenty minutes ago you were asking about Wyatt and Chris and Meli, and I knew just by the look in your eye and the tone in your voice that those kids mean so much to you. Do you see? You can find more drive to keep you alive. I know it. You just have to find some other motivation."

Cole took a shuddery breath, the tears in his eyes finally spilling over and running down his cheeks. No one in his life had ever spoken so frankly before. No one had ever made him truly believe that if he wanted to, he could do more with his life. And to hear it from someone he was sure despised him was overwhelming.

"What if I can't?" he asked, but the words came out quietly, almost in a strangled breath. He cleared his throat. "What if I can't?" he repeated. "I've already tried."

"Have you really?" asked Prue bluntly. "Or have you moped and skulked around expecting life to just give you a purpose without any effort?"

Cole sighed, and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "Where would I even start?" he asked.

"I can't tell you, Cole. It's something you have to figure out for yourself. I just came back because I wanted you to know that someone believes you can do it. Even if that someone wants it for very selfish reasons."

Cole laughed and finally turned to face Prue again. To his surprise, her eyes were also wet with tears. Slowly, he crossed the room and pulled her into a hug. It was very brief and somewhat stiff, but it also felt like the perfect action for the moment. "Thank you," he said quietly.

Prue pulled out of the hug and tilted her head a little. "You're welcome," she said.

As if on cue, the door opened and Andy came back into the apartment with a smile on his face. "So I see you worked things out," he said.

"You were listening in the hall," said Prue. She did not sound in the least surprised.

"Well, only for the last five minutes or so," said Andy.

For a moment they fell into a silence that no one seemed to know how to break. Finally, Prue said, "I'm always here if you need me, Cole. Well, you know, not literally here on this plane, but I am around. And I will try to help."

Cole nodded. "You're going," he said.

"We can't stay," said Andy.

Prue smiled sadly. "Not all of us get second chances at life." She sighed loudly, and for a moment Cole's heart broke for her. Despite her faults, Prue had unfairly lost too much.

Prue reached out her hand and Andy came and clasped it in his, holding it tightly. "See you around, Cole," said Prue.

"Goodbye," said Cole. And as suddenly as they had appeared in his life, Prue and Andy disappeared in a swirl of gold lights.

* * *

**A/n: **I know a few people will be very disappointed that this didn't end with Prue and Cole together, but that couple is not the focus of this series. Truthfully, I've never considered Prue and Cole as a couple until I received reviews that expressed the hope that they would end up together. Thinking about it now, I have mixed emotions on the matter, and while I'm sure I'll never become a diehard Cole/Prue 'shipper, maybe someday I'll dabble with them in a romantic relationship. We'll see. It's certainly sparked my interest. 

Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed. For those of you who would like to continue to follow this series, the next story, _Hiding Underneath,_ should be up soon. As a change of pace, this story will be told from the point of view of Phoebe and Coop's eldest daughter, Nora.

I hope you enjoyed this story, even if it didn't end the way you'd hoped.

_Katie_

**A/n 2 (10/28/07): **To address a review left by larinx, and anyone else who may have similar thoughts. Thank you for your perspective. I agree that the story's end isn't perfect and perhaps a little rushed. Maybe someday I will figure out how to fix it. However, these stories are part of a series. This isn't the end of Cole.

Also, I completely agree with you that Cole shouldn't need to prove himself to Phoebe anymore. That's the point of this story. Prue tells Cole that Phoebe will come to him this time (a lot of the rest of this series will be Phoebe realizing who _she_ is and how _she_ can be less selfish). Phoebe is going to be fighting for Cole. Prue's real point is that she wants Cole to find something else to live for; she wants him to do this for selfish reasons (so he won't be dead/dying of alcoholism when Phoebe finally comes). I personally wanted Cole to have some motivation to live besides Phoebe however, because their relationship was always way too dependent for me. Cole went crazy without Phoebe, and as a character, I would have liked to see him develop beyond the point of "I need Phoebe or life's not worth living."

Even though Prue's motive is primarily selfish, she does give Cole the idea that he should find something more to live for and actually try this time. Granted, at the end of this story, getting Phoebe back probably helps motivate Cole to get his life together, but by doing so he'll realize that there is more to life than Phoebe Halliwell. The point of these stories, for me, is to show Phoebe and Cole turning into unselfish (mostly) and functioning adults, which I think was both of their downfalls on the show. That's right, I don't think Cole was absolutely one hundred percent right on the show. He needed to grow up a little too.

The only thing I refuse to apologize for is that this is a Phoebe/Cole series. If anyone had read the two stories before this, or looked at the listing in my profile, they would know that this was the direction the story would go.

I realize that by having to explain my motives and ideas, this story did probably not accomplish all that it needed to. As I said before, I might fix it at some point, but for now I think I need to step back from it until I can see it more objectively. Once again, thank you so much for your review. Now that I know there are problems with this story, I'll know what to work on for the next one to make it more clear where this series is going.

If anyone else has any other thoughts or comments I would love to hear them. Criticism always helps!

_Katie_


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